LONDON: Footage of a far-right Israeli mob attacking a man in Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, who they believed was an Arab was broadcast live on TV on Wednesday as Israeli extremists assaulted Arabs in several cities.
The footage was aired on Israeli public broadcaster Kan, but reports indicated that the police and emergency services did not arrive on the scene until 15 minutes later. By that time, the victim was lying on the ground motionless and bloodied in the middle of the street.
Although Israelis at the scene justified the attack by saying that the driver was an Arab who was intentionally trying to crash into the crowd, the footage showed otherwise. A white car is seen reversing away from a crowd before it collides with another vehicle.
The car then appears to speed forward toward the crowd before being stopped by the mob. Then the driver is forcibly pulled from the vehicle and dozens of people descend on him and beat him.
Six people have been arrested following the brutal attack. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv’s Ichilov hospital said in a statement that “the victim of the lynching is seriously injured but stable.”
The live broadcast comes amid increased demonstrations by far-right Israelis and escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, with the UN warning that the two sides are heading for “all-out war.”